Maíra Benchimol de Souza

MSc. Student- National Institute of Brazilian Research

Research: Effects of Fragmentation on the Primate Community in Central Amazonia, Brazil

Species/Topic: Primate communities

Abstract: The construction of hydroelectric dams is today an important cause of the loss of habitat in the Amazon Region. With the filling of the reservoirs, extensive areas of forests are flooded, causing a drastic alteration of the original landscape. The intent of this study is to verify which species of primates remain present on the islands 20 years after the construction of the Balbina hydroelectric dam and to analyze at the species level how each one has responded to the resulting impacts of the new configuration on the landscape. In this manner, I will evaluate how the size, the form and the degree of isolation have influenced the composition and the richness of species on the islands, and how the environmental variables influence the structure of the community. Results will determine which types of islands have to receive priority in actions of management and conservation of the Uatumã Biological Reserve.